Nifty News

Faithful Followers

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

So thinking about my upcoming high school reunion, I dragged out my yearbook and started looking through the pages. I was really surprised at the things people wrote in my yearbook. I guess some things don't change in 20 years. Here are a few things my classmates wrote. (Apparently I did a lot of laughing in high school. That could explain my grades...)

Dawn,Hey girl, it's been a long year, but your laugh has kept the class awake.....

.....you are a really sweet person who thinks up good excuses for ditching gym.

Art has been fun. You have the most creative laugh I have ever heard.

...It was great having you in my class and hearing all your stories.

....PS laugh for me, Dawn!

Survey would not have been the same if your joyous laughter had not filled the room. I will always remember the time that I had to walk out of class because I was having an uncontrollable fit of laughter after listening to you laughing. Keep laughing Dawn and keep making other people laugh.

.....keep laughing. OK, seriously, thanks for being my friend and I hope your life is filled with much happiness and laughter. You have uplifted my life in many ways.

...you are totally funny. You made art class something to look forward to at the end of the day....

What can I say? You've got a weird laugh (that's a compliment). I mean, this class would be total boredom without it....

And this one was especially funny to me. I about fell off my chair laughing at this one..."Dawn, you turned out some very nice work this year. The keyword is some! But despite that, you're a nice kid, great laugh, talented girl. Thanks for taking my class.Mr. UpinForget about the tranquilizer remark. You turned out OK."

LOL! I remember him threatening me with a tranquilizer because I laughed too much in his class! Ahhh good times, good times...

Despite the fact that I truly don't remember most of the kids I went to school with (in all fairness, there were more than 600 kids in my graduating class) I guess I made an impression on a couple of them. At least 20 years ago. That's good.

You never know when something you do or say will impact another person's life. Not that all those people who signed my book remember me or the fact that I apparently laugh like a hyena, but still, at the time I impacted a couple lives in a positive way. We can all do that. Every day. Take time to spread some laughter and joy! You never know who could really use a smile. :)

It reminds me of this commercial. I don't know anything about Liberty Mutual, but I love these commercials. Those little acts of kindness can have a huge impact.

(You can start by giving your kids a laugh. Just show them pictures of you from your yearbook. My kids haven't stopped laughing at my picture yet.)

This commercial is so nice - each person shown watching a good deed goes on to do one him or herself.

A note about the music - Liberty Mutual likes to use music from a not very well known group that's one of my favorites - HEM. This one uses the song The Part Where You Let Go, another uses their song Half Acre. Rabbit Songs, their first CD, is the one I like best so far.

Not a bad legacy...being remembered for your distinctive laugh. Me? I came in second place for the Year Book category "Most Unknown". Can you be well known for being unknown (or unknowable?) LOL! What can I say, I was a quiet, keep-to-myself kind of teen. ;-) I've never gone to any of my HS reunions. Why would I? No one would know me. Heh.

My best friend has a laugh that can be heard from across a football field! Since we all live in an apartment complex everytime I hear her laugh I can't help but smile..."That" kind of laugh is an awesome kind, very few people have it! You must be one of the special ones :) Keep it up, it lifts so many spirits :)

Ah yes, the high school yearbook... the opportunity to look back and say, "WHAT WAS I THINKING????" A friend of mine was looking thru my old yearbook with her then 12-year-old son. He saw my picture (my name was different then) and he wondered who the nerd was. sigh. and I still am.Meta

Dawn! That darned commercial makes me cry when I see it on TV and now you just duped me into watching it again!

There is a picture of me in my 7th grade yearbook doing the chicken dance. I bet my kids would get a kick out of that. I have those cool bangs that are stuck up a mile high with Aqua Net hairspray, too.

Aw. See? You've been cheering people up for over 20 years. Who knew when all of those people wrote those comments to you in your yearbook, that 20 years later you'd be entertaining millions the same way.

Hi Dawn,I'm on the committee for our 30 year reunion which is the end of June... I went to our 10 year, and our 20 year single (never married) - and started dating another guy from our class who also had never married (after the 20 year). We got married after our 20 year, and now have a 3.5 year old - we are old parents, but loving it. So I guess we'll both go to the 30 year and have photos of our son to show! Weird, but I remember most everyone from high school - not sure why, but I do.... I don't remember stories or what we did, just remember their faces and names. So I guess we'll go (kinda have to since I'm on the committee....) LOL Go and enjoy - better than regretting it later that you missed out on something! I liked our 20 much better than the 10. People were laid back. I imagine the 30 will be even better because frankly - I don't care what others think - I just want to go have fun. and if they want to talk about the extra lbs that I am carrying around over the last 30 years, well... that is their business! Hopefully they will look past the "looks" and see that I am a good member of society, and a successful business owner, good wife, and mom! Go and enjoy!Hugs, Pam (Seattle)

Hi Dawn,This is my first post, but I have been reading (and enjoying) your blog since I read about you in the Chicago Tribune. When you mentioned your excuses for gym, it reminded me of this scene in the movie The Trouble With Angels...

I've read your post for a long time, but never posted. I live in St. Charles, and love your writing. After seeing the commercial you posted, you might want to look up the Nickleback "Savin' Me" video. It's similar, and really neat. They showed it at my church a few months ago. I look forward to reading your blog everyday. Thanks for the laughs!

I have 2 especially great commemments in my yearbook. The first is from the singer of the school party band, he ended with "lay off the hard stuff." Yup, as the party band singer, he witnessed me er, inebreated (ok ok, falling over drunk) more than once :) The second is from a teacher that signed the name 'Lance' (not his name) and posed as a student. He called me babe, thanked me for all the good times & said he couldn't wait until my parents go out of town so we can party (a'hem) all night. Yes a TEACHER did this!!! Luckily my dad knew him & believed I was telling the truth!Have fun at your reuninon.

I went to my 20 year reunion in November (It has almost been 21 years, now!!!) and I can say this, I recognized most of the "women" and not as many of the men. Us gals, aged much better! I graduated with over 700, so it was interesting to see who was there!!! I went solo, left the husband home with the kids. Most people didn't bring SO's if that person didn't go to the HS. Have fun, when you go!

My first reunion was my 20th and it was a hoot. I never thought it could be so much fun to laugh at myself. And my kids enjoyed digging out the 80's stuff to decorate the hall. I took a LOT of abuse (they're 15) and it was all worth it. You HAVE to post that high school photo!

I have shown my high school pic to my kids and they are like "Who is that??" Yeah, well, just wait until you pop out a bunch of kids in a short period of time. After all the extra layers of fat and the gray hair and the wrinkles, no one will recognize you either, you little heathens!! :)

Ok, I know I read your blog everyday, and I swear I must have missed one or something because I do not remember reading about your book being pushed back to next year? Could you please go over that once again for people like me, who have no clue what happened? Or at least direct us to the post to read it. Thanks so much.

I went to my 23 year class reunion today. Just kidding. I drove out to Westminster to see my high school bff Laura. She is the only one I keep in touch with. It was so funny to catch up with her. She still lives in Carroll County. So, she catches me up on who's doing what and with whom. It was so funny to me to think that she sees these people all the time.

What made my day so complete was that she lives maybe 10 miles from John Eric. The mapquest directions had me driving by his house! So, I got to stop and visit with his family too. It was a truly lovely day. Even if I drove baby boy out to a farm and the only animal he cared about was the dog...we have those next door for crying out loud.

Wow - 20 years! "We are the same grade" as my younger 2 would say! Our reunion is in October - I am on the decorating committee...Fun Huh! No really I am excited - I have become much more outgoing since I graduated having a handful of children will do that I suppose.Anyway - GO HAVE FUN!!!

I attended my 40th HS reunion last fall. Our school was small with only 115 in our graduating class, so we were acquainted with most everyone. At the end of the evening one of my classmates commented that there was so much love in that banquet room all day. We celebrated each other's joys and encouraged and prayed for each other's trials. Getting older seems to be bringing us wisdom!

I too request a video of the legendary Dawn Meehan laugh, even if you are in the background holding the camera while one of the kids climbs up the refrigerator or spins crazily around in an office chair or is holding a squirrel or after you've found a slice of pizza safely stored in the pretend safe or....

i wasn't even invited to my 10 year reunion 4 years ago. i guess i wasn't cool enough. the woman who organized it only invited the people who were popular in high school. any shock as to why i left town 14 years ago and never looked back? lol i like to think i've grown up alot but people still say the same thing about me "you're very childlike. not childish, but childlike". lol. maybe some things never change...

600 kids in your graduation class?!!! Woaw. We were only 83, and I live in a city (Cape Town!) with 5 high schools, of which mine was the only one for my language (South Africa has 11 official languages!)